Defection Foundation Was Laid When Saraki Emerged Senate President Against The Wish of APC – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that the turbulent relationship between the Executive and the Legislative arms of government started the moment Dr Bukola Saraki emerged as the Senate President against the wish of the party.

Lai Mohammed

Mohammed, who told journalists in an interview, in Lagos, said the Senate President’s emergence laid the foundation for the defection.

“For you to properly understand the defections, i think you need to look at the context.The Foundation for the defection was made the moment Dr. Bukola Saraki emerged Senate President against the wish of the party. That was the beginning of the turbulent relationship between the Executive arm of government and the legislative arm of government. This is because in any democracy, the party especially when the party controls the majority in the house, determines who is the leader of either the Senate or the house of Representatives”, said Mohammed.

“If you recalled Dr. Bukola Saraki actually went against the wish of the party by lobbying the opposition PDP members to become Senate President and since then, there have been turbulent relationship at the Senate.”

While expressing confidence on the winning chances of the party in 2019 , the Minister said that it is better to have a loyal, disciplined and non-treacherous team even though the Party does not want to lose anyone.

“But the Party remains very solid. We have no cause to be necessarily worried.Yes, we appreciate that in politics, we don’t want to lose any person but it is better to have a loyal and disciplined team than to have a disloyal, indisciplined and treacherous team.

“As time goes on we will see those who are true members of APC and who believe in what we stand for,” said Mohammed.

Speaking on the defection rumour of the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, the Minister said, “I welcome it (defection of Akpabio) because all politics is local. All those who have left us did that for purely personal reasons.

“Since they say politics is a game of number, of course we welcome gladly the defection of the Minority leader like they say it is one-one goalless draw.

“On whether Akpabio was being positioned for the position of the Senate President Mohammed said that he was not aware of such thing.”